


As The World Falls Apart

by bringmesomepie



Series: I'll Be Right Here; Waiting [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bad News, Captain Chuck Shurley, Castiel is Missing, Dean in Denial, Gen, M/M, Missing in Action, Missions Gone Wrong, Panicking Dean, Papa Dean, Pregnant Dean, Rescue Missions, Soldier Castiel, Teacher Dean, Teacher Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 17:40:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8111437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bringmesomepie/pseuds/bringmesomepie
Summary: Castiel went on another deployment right before Dean has their fourth and final kid. Captain Chuck Shurley shows up at The Winchester's door with some bad news...Dean just needs a glimmer of hopeTitle is a Lyric from the song Here's You Letter by Blink-182





	

“Claire, Honey, help Samandriel with his math homework.” Dean walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where the youngest Winchester was watching afternoon cartoons before dinner while her siblings did homework. “Emma, Pumpkin, come sit with Papa on the couch.”

The three year old got up and trotted over to cushion and plopped beside her father. “Papa gonna watch cartoon with me?”

“Of course, baby girl. Tell me about this one.” Dean pointed at the screen.

“Dat little Clifford, Papa. Clifford is still a puppy and is not big yet.” Emma explained including hand gestures.

“You mean Clifford wasn’t always as big as a house?” Dean gasped with an over exaggerated expression.

“No, Papa. He was a puppy, a really tiny puppy when he was a baby.” Emma shook her head. “Am I gonna get as big as Clifford?”

Dean laughed. “No, baby girl. Me and Daddy think that you are gonna be a little shorter than Daddy when you grow up.”

“What about baby?” Emma pressed her hands on Dean’s moderately swollen middle. At 18 weeks, he had just started showing. “Will baby grow big?”

“Honey, Clifford was special. Claire, Alfie, you, and baby are all gonna grow up normal sized, but you are equally special.” Dean smiled and tapped his youngest daughters nose.

Claire came walking in. “I’m finished with my homework and Alfie just has his vocab.”

“Good. I’m thinking that tonight was order some pizza and watch a movie on Netflix.” Dean smiled. “How does that sound?”

“That sound great.” Claire nodded. “Is it a good time to skype Dad?”

Dean frowned. Cas had been deployed 12 weeks earlier. Dean had been constantly emailing his husband as much as possible and Cas told him everything that he could. Three week ago Cas said that he was going on a mission where he would not have internet connection. He didn’t know when he was gonna get back. It made Dean nervous, probably more nervous than Cas supposed to be home a week before their late child’s due date. “No, darling. Daddy is away from any internet connection for a short while. I told you this. I still haven’t gotten an email saying he is back.”

“That’s stupid. Why can’t Dad just stay home and not travel and fight?” Claire crossed her arms over her chest.

“I agree, Bunny. Daddy is adamant about fighting for his country and I’m not gonna stop him.”

“I’m gonna go to my room for a little while.” Claire walked quietly away. Dean knew she was really missing Cas. She was a Daddy’s girl, which made Dean’s heart hurt. “Call me when pizza is here.”

“Ok, honey, I’m sorry you can’t talk to Dad.”

“It’s ok.” Claire walked upstairs. Emma zoned out on the show and there was a knock on the door.

Dean turned the knob to reveal Cas’s captain in formal uniform with an envelope in his hands. “Captain Shurley? What are you doing here?”

The man frowned. “As you know Castiel and his group went on a mission a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah?” Dean began opening the envelope.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Winchester.”

“Don’t say that. If you do that means Cas is dead…” The Winchester opened the envelope and yanked the paper out.

Captain Shurley placed his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “We are not sure if Castiel is alive or dead. We lost connection with the team. They stopped replying to the walkie talkies and we can’t get a signal from their satellite radio like we should. It’s been about a week and still no response or sign of life. We have sent two other teams on a search and rescue and they haven’t found anybody from the team.”

Dean’s hand were shaking as tears built up in his eyes. One hand shakily cover his mouth and the other gripped his middle. “No, no, he can’t be…”

“I’m sorry, Dean. Let’s go sit down.” Chuck tried to guide Dean back inside.

“NO!” Dean blurted and stepped out onto the porch. “My kids are inside they can’t know until it’s true he’s dead.”

Chuck shook his head. “Dean, Castiel is presumed dead. Two search and rescue teams haven’t found him or his body. We are sending one more teams out tomorrow morning, but we think the results will be the same.”

Dean knees gave out, but luckily Chuck caught the man. “Nononono…”

“I’m sorry, Dean. I truly am sorry. I will let you know personally about the results of the final search. Is there someone you can call.” Chuck held Dean’s shoulders.

“My-my brother…” Dean whimpered as tears flowed.

“Pull yourself together, Dean. You have to stay strong for your kids. If you don’t want them to know yet, you have to calm down and think…believe that Castiel is still alive out there somewhere.”

Dean wiped his eyes as Chuck helped him up. “You’re right, you’re right.”

“You’ll be the first I tell when the search is over. Stay strong.” Chuck hugged the Winchester. “It will take a week or so. I want to believe Castiel is alive for your sake.”

“Thank you, Chuck. Have a safe trip back. Thank you for letting me know.” Dean inhaled and slowly walked inside and call the pizza delivery place and walked into the half bath and washed his face. He looked mostly ok. “Cas is alive. Cas is alive.”

_**(* &^%$#%^&*(*&^%$%^&*(** _

Dean sat at his desk Friday afternoon, just staring into space. He had finished helping his student get to their cars safely over an hour ago. Claire, Alfie and Emma were sleeping over at Sam and Gabe’s tonight. Dean unconsciously bite his finger nail and stared at the far wall. There was a light knock at his door that brought him back to reality. “Dean?”

“yeah?” Dean blinked to find Gabe walking over to his desk.

“Have you been just sitting here since you came back from car pick up?” Gabe sat on the edge of the desk. “What’s on your mind?”

“uhh—“ He tried so hard to hold back tears, but his hormones made it hard. “I have kept it a secret for a few days because if I say anything I will break down.”

Gabe frowned. “What are you talking about, Dean? Why are you crying? Talk to me, Bud. You’re scaring me.”

“Captain Shurley came to my house Thursday.” The Winchester whimpered. “Oh God, Gabe.”

“Dean…what happened?” Gabe got off the desk and lowered himself on the balls of his toes and spun Dean’s chair to face him. “Talk to me.”

“Cas is MIA and they can’t find him. They have sent two search and rescues and they haven’t found him. Friday morning they sent a third and last search team. Chuck said it would be a week or so before he would call me with the results, but he said it was more likely that they won’t find him.” Dean was sobbing at this point.

Tears brimmed Gabe’s eyelids. The Novak sniffed and wiped his eyes. “No, Cas…Cas is a trooper…he wouldn’t die that easily. He still alive out there somewhere.”

“I hope so, but God, Gabe…I’m so scared. I don’t want to tell the kids their Dad is dead.” Dean pressed a hand to his middle. “Especially the one who hasn’t even met him yet.”

“Cas is alive, Dean. Just keep telling yourself that. My brother wouldn’t give up that easily. Not even he has you and his four children on the line.” Gabe patted Dean on the knee. “Go home, fix something to eat, because I know you must have not been eating much, and get some sleep.”

“Thank you, Gabe. You know, I love you like a brother.”

“Yeah, I feel the same…brother.” Gabe smiled and wiped his eyes again. “If it makes you happy, I’m not gonna tell Sam until I know Cas is ok…or…”

Dean nodded. “Thank you.” He got up from the chair and walked to his car. Tomorrow was Thursday…any day from then on he could get the call saying Cas was safe or his husband was dead…or there was no body to be found. He stepped into his house and fixed himself something small and went to sleep. That morning he trudged into work and was emotionally numb.

The day was blur and before he knew it the last bell rang and he guided his kids in the direction of Charlie this week to the buses or down the hall to the kid pick up with him. Once ever one was safely in the right car Dean went directly back to his classroom and actually did some work. Claire and Samandriel walked into the room a few minutes later and started their homework. “Papa, how was your day?”

“Meh, I can’t complain.” Dean managed to say. “Did anything exciting happen today?”

Claire shook her head and Samandriel laughed. “Ben ran around the classroom and then puked on the floor. Mrs. Masters wasn’t too happy with him.”

“I bet, bucko.” Dean smiled and glanced over at his phone. “Once y’all finish your homework we can go pick Em from daycare and go home for supper.”

Dean was getting anxious…Thursday came and went. It was now Tuesday and there was still no word about his husband. He laid on the couch, curled up on his side watching Dr. Sexy as he glossed his fingertips over his ever growing middle. It was late. Emma went night-night two hours ago, Samandriel was tucked in an hour ago and Claire went to bed 20-30 minutes earlier. He was drifting in and out of sleep that he barely recognized that his phone was ringing. He grabbed it and brought it to his ear without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

_“We found him.”_

“What?”

_“This is Captain Chuck Shurley, Dean, we found Castiel…alive.”_

A gasp escaped Dean’s throat as he shot up into sitting position. “Really?”

_“He was found barely conscious, dehydrated, malnourished, banged up, but alive. He was helicoptered to the near hospital along with the only other survivor, his partner, Michael Milton. Once stable they are gonna fly him back to Kansas with a honorable discharge and purple heart.”_

Tears of relief and joy filled Dean’s eyes. “Thank God, Thank God, Chuck…thank you for sending that last search and rescue team. This means the world and more to me.”

_“It was no problem, Dean. You don’t have to worry any more. Your husband is safe.” Dean could practically hear the smile on Chuck’s face. “Castiel is going to spend two days in the hospital here then be flown to the Lawrence Regional.”_

Dean hung up and just cried tears of joy. He dialed Gabe’s number. “Gabe?”

_“Hey Dean, why are you calling this late?”_

“They found him. They found Cas. Alive! He’s alive and gonna be home with a honorable discharge and a purple heart in two days.”

_“That’s amazing. Tell me all the information in the morning so we can be there when he gets here.”_

“Of course.” Dean sighed in relief. “He’s alive.”

_******* _


End file.
